If you've got some spare time, you might want to take a trip to Sacramento, Calif.
Beginning today and running through Sunday (Jan. 17-20) are the dates of the 2008 Sacramento outdoor sportsmen's show, sponsored by the International Sportsmen's Exposition (ISE).
The ISE show, which is Northern California's largest fishing boat show, is being held at Cal Expo at the California State Fairgrounds, at 1600 Exposition Blvd. in Sacramento.
If you are interested in attending, Cal Expo is about 160 miles from Carson City (via I-80). And, if you don't mind a long day, you can get up very early, drive to the show, have a ton of fun and be back home late that same evening.
The 2008 show hours are:
Both today and Friday: Noon to 9 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets are $12, with youngsters (12 and under) admitted free. However, be advised parking will cost you $7 per vehicle.
Also be advise that when the weather is nice and if you are at the show on Friday evening or Saturday afternoon, you can expect huge crowds that cause grid-locks in the aisles.
The Sacto Show is the second of five ISE shows held in the west. The other four are San Mateo, Calif. (which was held on Jan. 10-13), Denver (Jan. 24-27), Phoenix (March 7-9) and Salt Lake City (March 13-16).
If you are interested in attending an outdoor sportsmen's show with all kinds of awesome exhibits, demonstrations and activities, Sacramento is obviously the closest.
The Sacto Show consists of a number of buildings, halls and exhibition areas, each specializing in various types of hunting or fishing-related activities.
I guarantee there will be something there to catch your eye, no matter how choosy you are about outdoor interests.
• Here are some samples to whet your appetite:
Best of the West Distance Fly Casting Competition.
Dutch oven cooking demonstration classes.
Bass casting and fishing tank.
Pop-up archery challenge.
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) elk calling competition.
Rock crawlers demonstrations on the "Giant Mountain."
Shooting simulator.
The Splash Dogs, which is a dog enthusiast company that organizes and promotes dog dock jumping competitions in the Western United States.
Youth Outdoor Sports Fair (opens Friday at 3 p.m.) at the Expo Center, near the show's West Entrance.
• In addition, the big game hunting hall contains vendors and exhibitors advertising all types of hunting, just about anywhere in the world. Mule deer and Rocky Mountain Elk hunts are the most common hunting packages offered.
However, you can also book hunting trips for species such as black bear, grizzly bear, brown bear, Rocky Mountain goat, Dall Sheep, moose, caribou, mountain lion, etc. All you need is money, and lots of it.
The fly fishing building contains all kinds of fly fishing and fly tying vendors, exhibitors and demonstrators.
In that building, you can book fly fishing trips all over the West, Alaska and Canada.
Building "D" is the fishing and boating area. This building contains vendors and exhibitors associated with all kinds of fresh and salt water fishing, fishing equipment and all types and sizes of boats.
• In the Eastman's Journals Adventure Theater:
Gary Lewis: Hunting Oregon's deer elk and black bear.
Chad Schearer: Muzzleloading for dummies and advance techniques for the Daniel Boone types.
Guy Eastman: Hunting on the West's public lands.
John Higley: Pig hunting tips and techniques.
Greg Davenport: Outdoor survival Techniques.
• In the Fishing Theater:
Capt. Kevin Yost: Delta Sturgeon Fishing.
Angelo Cuanang: Stripers.
Paul Chappell: Eagle Lake.
Sep Hendrickson: Trolling for trout and Kokanee.
Steve Carson: Albacore.
Finally:
This annual outdoor show is a great way to spend enjoyable time with thousands of other hunters, fishermen and boaters.
• Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon he can't tell you if I'm going to attend the 2008 Sacto Show.
If he grins and says, "Don has to skip it this year because he has other commitments," he could be a close friend.
• Don Quilici is the Outdoors editor for the Nevada Appeal.